Grain scourer and cleaner.



No. 674,101. Patented may 14, 19111. c. sToNE.

GRAIN SCOURER AND CLEANER.

(Application led Sept. 19, 1900.)

(No Modal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Patented May I4, |90I.

C. STDNE.

GRAIN SCUURER AND` CLEANER.

(Application filed Sept.A 19, 1900.)

2 sheets-sheet 2.V

(No Model.)

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UNrrnD STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

COLUMBUS STONE, OF MANCHESTER, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO ELZA O.GRISSOM, 'OF BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY.

GRAIN SCOURER AND CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,101, dated May 14,1901.

Application filed September 19, 1900. Serial No. 30,479. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, COLUMBUS STONE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Manchester,.in the county of Coiee and State of Tennessee,have invented a new and useful Grain Scourer and Cleaner, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is an improved grain scourer and cleaner for the removal offuzz, smut, and Io other impurities from lthe external surfaces ofgrain, as Wheat and the like, by abrasion and for separating the saidimpurities from the grain and cleaning the latter.

One object of my invention is to effect an improvement in theconstruction and combination of the devices for scouring the grain andremoving the fuzz, smut, and other impurities therefrom by abrasion.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for automaticallydischarging the grain, after the same has been scoured, from thescouring-boxes and to render the machine self feeding and regulating, sothat the same will require little or no attention when in opz 5 eration.

A further object of my invention is to provideimproved means forWinnowing the grain and carrying off the fuzz, smut, and otherimpurities detached therefrom by the abrading action of the scouringmechanism.

A further object of my invention is to pro- Vide means for recoveringsuch grain as may be carried off by the winnowing exhaust-air blast andautomatically discharging such recovered grain as the same accumulates.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in thepeculiarconstruction and combination of devices hereinafter fully setforth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a grainscouring and cleaning machine constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectionalvieW of the same, taken on the line a c of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is partly adetail elevation and partly a sectional view on a plane at right anglesto Fig. 3.

My improved scouring mechanism comprises a scouring box 1, the lower'side of 5o which is semicylindrical in shape, a revoluble shaft 2, andscouring-disks 3, which are secured on said shaft and operate in thesaid scouring-box, the said disks being made of emery or other suitablematerial and being disposed obliquely on the said shaft, as shown inFig. 3, whereby their lower sides as the shaft rotates move back andforth above the bottorn of the scouring-box, as will be understood. A

The scouring-box has a feed-hopper 4 on its 6o upper side and adischarge-spout 5 on its lower side. The shaft is journaled in bearings,as at 6, in a suitable supporting-frame, and the scouring-box, which isvertically movable with relation to the shaft, is suspended by links 7from the inner end of levers 8, Which levers are provided withadjustable counterbalancing-Weights 9. The ends or heads of the boxthrough which the shaft 2 passes are provided with vertical slots l0 toclear the 7o said shaft and permit the vertical movement of the box withrelation thereto. In the discharge-spout 5 is an automatically-operatedvalve 11, which regulates the discharge of the grain from the box afterthe grain has been scoured by being subjected to the abrading action ofthe cylindrical lower side of the box and the obIiquely-disposedrevoluble emery abrading-disks. The said valve is operated by a lever12, which is pivotally connected to 8o the scouring-box, as at 13, andhas its outer end pivotally connected to an immovable support, as .at14. The weights are so set on the counterbalancing-levers 8 as to adaptthe scouring-box to contain a certain predeter- '85 mined quantity ofgrain before the scouringbox descends under the Weight of the grain andopens the valve 11 automatically to permit of the discharge of thescoured grain from the box. In operation the grain is fed 9o to thescouring-box continuously through the hopper or intake 4, and thescouringsbox being initially elevated by the counterweighted levers thegrain is subjected to the scouring and abrading action of thecylindrical lower side of the scouring-box and the obliquelydisposedemery disks. The valve 11 being closed while the scouring-boxis thusdisposed in its initial normal elevated position,v the grain issubjected to the efficient scouring roo action of the box and disks andaccumulates in the scouring-box while 'being scoured.

back and forth in the lower side of the scouring-box, but also areeii'icient in moving the grain to the discharge-spout to facilitate thedischarge thereof when sufficiently scoured from the scouring-box.

In practice I employ a suitable number of the scouring mechanisms inasingle machine, as shown in Fig. 1 and 2, the said scouring mechanismsbeing disposed one above another, so that the grain is discharged froman upper scouring mechanism to thenext lower scouring mechanism inseries and is hence repeatedly scoured duringits passage through thescouring mechanisms.

In combination with my improved scouring mechanism I employexhaust-airblast fans 15 16. In the form of my invention here shown Icombine with the exhaust-air-blast fan 15 a wind-trunk 17, which has thedepending legs 18 19, the former leading to the casing of the fan andthe latter being disposed over the intakeof the upperscouring mechanism.The said leg 19 has a hopper 20, through which grain is fed to the boxof the upper scouring mechanism, and it will be understood that theexhaustair blast created by the fan through the wind-trunk 17 willwinnow the grain as the same descends from the hopper 2O through the leg19, the descending grain on its passage to the scouring mechanism beingsubjected to the action of an ascending exhaustair blast, and therebyefficiently winnowed, the chaff and other light impurities and foreignsubstances being discharged through the wind-trunk 17 into thefan-casing and from the latter, as will be readily understood. In orderto recover such of the grain as may be .carried upward through the leg19 by the exhaust-air blast, I provide the wind-trunk 17 on its lowerside at a point between the legs 18 19 with a depending chamber 21,which has an inclined discharge gate or valve 22 atits lower side. Theeddies set up in the chamber 21 cause the grain and other heavierparticles to drop in the said chamber. The partial vacuum therein keepsthe valve or gate 22 closed until a suflicient quantity of grain hasaccumulated in the said chamber to overcome the pressure of theatmosphere on the said gate or valve, when the latter will be opened bythe weight of the grain, the same discharged, and the valve or gate immediately thereafter closed by the suction of the air in the chamber 21.

A wind-trunk 23 leads from a point above the intake e of the secondscouring mechanism to the casing of the exhaust-air-blast fan 15. Aninclined trough 24C, which communicates with the said wind-trunk 23, isdisposed below the discharge-spout 5 of the first scouring mechanism. Itwill be understood from the foregoing and by reference to the drawingsthat as the scoured grain is discharged from the first scouringmechanism the same will be subjected to the action of the exhaustairblast through the lower portion of the wind-trunk 23 as the scouredgrain passes from the first scouring mechanism to the second scouringmechanism, the said exhaustair blast serving to carry off the smut,fuzz, and other impurities removed from the grain by the first scouringmechanism.

The exhaust-air-blast fan 16 has windtrunks 25 26, which are similar tothe windtrunk 23 and are similarly disposed with relation to thedischarge-trough of the second and third scouring mechanisms, and itwill be understood that as the grain is discharged from each of thesecond and third scouring mechanisms the same is subjected to thewinnowing action of the exhaust-air blasts which lead to the casing offan 16. When the grain has been finally discharged from the machine, ithas been thoroughly scoured and cleaned. In the drawings I show three ofthe scouring mechanisms and two exhaust-airblast fans arranged inoperative combination; but it will be understood that I may vary thenumber of such scouring mechanisms and airblast fans employed.

Any suitable means may be employed for rotating the shafts 2 in thescouring-boxes and the fans in the fan-casing. In the drawings I showeach shaft 2 provided at one end with a pulley 27 of suitable diameterand each fan-shaft provided with a pulley 2S of less diameter and anendless belt 29, which connects said pulleys 27 2S and applies power tothe respective shafts. The shaft 2 of one of the scouring mechanisms isprovided with a power-pulley 30.

I also show vertically-disposed guides 31 supported by the frame 32 andengaged by ears or lugs 33, which extend from the heads of thescouring-boxes. The said guides and ears or lugs coact to prevent thescouringboxes from swaying laterally.

Each of the wind-trunks is provided with a valve, (indicated at 34,) bymeans of which the strength of the air-blast passing through the saidwind-trunks may be regulated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a grain-scourer, thecombination of a vertically movable horizontally disposedcounterweighted scouring box or casing having a discharge-opening in itslower side, a discharge-valve automatically opened by the descent ofsaid box or casing and closed by the ascent thereof, ahorizontally-disposed revoluble shaft journaled in fixed bearings andhaving scouring elements, said scouring elements and box or casingcoacting to scour IOO IIO

the grain while said box or casing is in its elevated position, and saidscouring elements feeding the scoured grain to the dischargeopening,when said box or casing descends and said valve opens, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a grainscourer,'the combination of a verticallymovablecounterweighted scouring box or casing having a discharge-opening in itslower side, a discharge-valve automatically opened by saidcounterweighted Vertically-Inovable scouring-box, when the latterdescends, a revolnble shaft in fixed bearings, and a series ofobliquely-disposed scouringdisks on said shaft, in said box or casing,the lower sides of said disks moving back and forward on the bottom ofsaid box or casing, and feeding the grain to the discharge-openingthereof when the said box or casing is lowered and the valve open,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

COLUMBUS STONE. Witnesses:

J. W. GARNER, MAY C. GLADMOND.

